XMen, or XTinct?
by MyOrli
Summary: I know, this is getting annoying, but this is the last i'll post before i finish the rest. another 'after XMen three' fic. really proud of it, ya'll!
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I know, people. G'head and shoot me. It's no more than I deserve. I'm **P**-**A**-**T**-**H**-**E**-**T**-**I**-**C**! In big, bold, capital letters. I just can't stop writing new fics! Urgh! I hate myself, ya'll know that? But our internet's been down and I couldn't write up new chapts due to busyness and high school. So, when I _was_ able to get connected again, I realized that I forgot what all I was gonna write (#_ducks from flying object_#) and it'll take me a while to recover that and/or find new inspiration. (#'_Ouch_! _That_ _hurt_!'#) I'm sorry for the inconveniences, but I promise I'll update my other two X-Men stories as soon as I'm able. Not to mention my LOTR fic, for those of you who also go there. So, while waiting on those others…

Disclaimer: blah, di-dah di-dah.

Summery: Dreams haunt the remaining X-Men. What will they do when those nightmares become reality? Is the alteration about Scott dismayingly coming true? Is Jean, though once corrupted herself, gonna be able to help them?

Apologies: Sorry, but I love the evil Scott (not like that, mind you. My flame is my boyfriend and Orlando Bloom) and slight Logan/Scott friendship. Constructive criticism is appreciated, but no flames, pleez! Remember that this has almost no relation to the comics; therefore it is just for fun.

Storm was haunted. It was the same every night. Her dreams were…unnatural. Those whom she thought of as her siblings were haunting her dreams. The very same every night. She knew it meant something, but didn't know what. A premonition? No, that wouldn't make sense. Insanity? No, that wouldn't fit, either. _What does this mean_?

It was in the dead of the night. All was silent. Storm, in her X-Men uniform, was walking absentmindedly towards the three headstones out in the back lawn. Something drew her towards them. She didn't know what, but something was calling her.

She stopped before all three. For a few brief seconds, she just stood, watching as if waiting for something. Then it happened. Jean and Scott's voices filled her head so suddenly that

she recoiled and dropped to her knees, clutching both temples.

"Storm."

"Storm." Jean and Scott's voices were frightening. Ghost-like.

"Can you hear us?"

"We're still here."

"Help us, Storm."

"We're not dead."

"We're here."

"Right here."

"Get us outta here."

"It's coming for us, Storm."

"We need your help."

"It won't let us go."

"Please, help us, Storm."

"I'm trying," Ororo struggled, opening her eyes. "I don't know what you want me to do."

"The lake, Storm."

"The lake. Go to the lake.

"_Alkali_, Storm."

"Go to Alkali." Ororo closed her eyes again, wanting the terrifying voices to go away. Scott and Jean were dead and she knew it. But despite all of this, she was getting _scared_.

Storm suddenly had the urge to open her eyes again. She was standing on the edge of a beach of the lake. The moon danced merrily on the water's surface. She felt strangely at peace. She felt _happy_ of all things here. But her peace was broken by, "Thank you, Ororo." The two voices said in unison. Storm turned, her foot slipping and making her fall down into the water about her feet. She looked up. Jean in her red garb and Scott in his despair/messed garb were standing over her, their black, emotionless eyes staring into her brown ones. They spoke in thanks, but their words were killingly malicious, "Thank you, Ororo. You've set us free." They grabbed her collar and shoved her into the water, not letting go. "You saved us. Set us free, Ororo." Storm wanted to scream, to cry out for help, but she had hardly any oxygen in her lungs. Her air supply was quickly running out. Her world began to blacken slowly out as she heard the evil tones over and over again, "You saved us, Storm…Storm…Storm…Storm…"

"Storm. Storm! _Storm_!" Kitty, a.k.a, Shadowcat, was trying desperately to wake her teammate for she was screaming in terror and rasping for more breath. Eventually, she came to. "Are you okay?"

After frightenly staring at Kitty for a second or two, beads of sweat trickling down her face, Ororo answered. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm…fine." She then turned his back to her and said in a soft, yet shaky, voice, "It was…just a dream."

Unfortunately, that was too far from the truth…

"…Therefore, I respectfully resign my commission. I feel I am needed more elsewhere. And that is where I'll stay. Respectfully, Dr.—formally Ambassador—Hank McCoy." Dr. McCoy, a.k.a., Beast—as he sat at his desk in the X-Mansion infirmary—finished his letter to the President. He was staying at the school for good, this time.

Oh, joy. The worst was over and Magneto was no longer a threat. But battle scars still covered himself and the X-Men. The Professor—the heart and soul of the school—was gone. His dear friends—Scott Summers and Jean Grey—were no longer, as well. But amidst despair, life must go on.

Beast wasn't so keen to give up his place as Ambassador, but he felt it was the right thing to do. The school needed him, the team certainly needed him, Storm _really_ needed him. The family comes first, not the government. Sure, it was harder to run the school with three staff members…well, dead, so Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters was where he was needed most.

But, lately, he'd been feeling uneasy around Ororo. She tries to act perfectly normal, but he knows what happens when she goes to sleep. Night after night, she's plagued by horrific nightmares. Little did he know that she wasn't the only one…

Logan traveled farther north. It was where he was when he met Rogue, before the attack in the bar, and when he was known as the King of the Cage. But he couldn't even go back to that. Not after what's happened. In fact, he didn't even know why he was going back to Canada. He had nowhere to go there. Secretly, he even came to call the school his home. But he couldn't go back. Why? He's the Wolverine. He's always been alone. He assumed he always will be. He roamed alone long before the fun with the X-Men began, and will continue even after. He's the Wolverine. He doesn't need anybody.

He looked at his watch to discover that it was 1:37 A.M. he wasn't surprised, somehow, yet dreadfully tired. He pulled the motorcycle over by the side of the road (a little souvenir in remembrance of 'ol Cyke, he told himself, sheepishly.) and carried it over to a cluster of trees. There wasn't a town—much less a hotel—for miles. Might as well make 'camp' under a tree. He was too tired to go on, anyways. He tilted his head back a bit as he sat against a tree and, before he knew it, was asleep.

Danger Room session. Himself, Jean, Storm, Bobby, Scott and Colossus were defending the school from attacking mutants. Obviously from the Brotherhood. He and Scott were hindering the retreat. As a large flaming timber flew just over their heads, they ducked behind a low brick wall.

"This isn't going so well," Scott panted.

"I know. I told you we shouldda rounded up the rest of the team for this session--" but Scott's attention was now turned passed Wolverine and to a smirking Pyro. "--this is really impossible with just half a dozen of us."

"Logan." Scott didn't look back at him, but hoped to turn his attention to where his own was.

"I'm tellin' ya, this wasn't such a good idea."

"_Logan_."

"Panicking isn't gonna help us."

"_Logan_!"

"_What_?" Before Scott answered due to lack of time, he threw himself towards Logan, causing them to practically fly top speed toward another cover. They slammed hard on the ground behind the back of a truck. Scott landed on top of Logan, practically laying on him. Wolverine looked at Scott, amazed, yet shocked. He fiercely rolled over where they switched positions "How the hell did you do _that_?"

Scott did the same treatment to where they were back in the same position, "Do _what_?"

"What just happened?" Scott looked at himself for a split second, then stood up and headed back to the backlines were some of the other X-Men were. "Scott!" Scott continued to walk forward, even through the destruction and exploding going on around him. Logan caught up, grabbed his shoulder, and gently—yet quickly—turned him around. There was something he wasn't telling him. And being Wolverine, Logan wanted to know, "Hey, what's up with you? You're acting…weird." Scott turned to walk away again, but Logan jerked him facing him again, holding his forearm. "Hey. _I want an answer_."

"You're not getting one, Logan," Logan was about to make a come-back, but Scott hastily added, "Cause there's nothing to explain."

"Oh, really?" he stopped him for the third time. Then settling his voice a little more, he said, "Listen, if there's something out of place, we need to know."

"Nothing's outta place if I save your ass, Logan."

"_No_body's that agile, Scott. Not unless you have a mutation that allows you to do it. And if I didn't know any better, I'd think you have a Class Five Phoenix corruption just like Jean." Scott's expression darkened.

"Don't _ever_ say that to me again, Logan." He walked off again, both of them ignoring the events going on around them.

Logan didn't stop him this time, but followed and pressed the matter, "Why? You got something to hide from us? Something you won't even tell Jean? Or even the _Professor_?"

Scott stopped dead in his tracks. He turned to face Logan with a cold expression. Logan could've sworn Scott's eyes turned black with Phoenix-like fury behind the ruby-quartz visor. Scott immediately let a strong optic blast at him, knocking him back quite away. Just before impact on a pile of burning rubble…

With a shout, Logan awoke. He looked as if he was in a -10 degree room, but it was a hot summer night. Logan was a hardy guy, but a simple dream like this one made him quite jumpy.

Suddenly, Logan's new cell phone rang with the rhythm of 'Eye of the Tiger'. He opened it and took the call. It was Ororo Munroe. "Yeah."

"Logan?"

"Storm. Any reason why you're calling me? I don't really feel like talking. I had a rough night."

"I know. So did I. But, Logan, I think you're gonna be very interested in why I called."

"Why? Is there something wrong?" he asked, sounding more serious and concerned.

"Logan, Hank and I were taking a walk in the grounds and…found a hole in front of Jean's headstone."

Logan was silent for a moment, then, "What?"

"She's alive again, Logan. I think you'd better come."

A/N: God, I'm a (#_bleep_#) sometimes, huh? Another cliffhanger. Well, I guess I just wanna see if any ya'll want more…that is, if you haven't abandoned me for not updating my other stories, lol. Pleez review. If ya'll do, I vow that no matter how badly I get writerz block again, I will not start another story until those others are done, -k-? We have a bargain? Good, then it's settled! B'bye!


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I'm back, friends! Sorry for the wait, but I been recovering from a break-up and haven't been able to get my head together. But aside my personal life, hope ya'll (as my _real_ friends) like this chapt! Thanx to my reviewers!

To beanmonkey77, thanx for your review. And about your question, hmm…maybe #cough, (_yes_) cough!#

To j.l., thanx. Glad you like.

Disclaimer: What's mine is mine.

Mansion

"Hurry, they're in the infirmary," Beast urgently said as he led Logan down the subbasement.

"How long has it been like this?" Logan asked as he followed closely.

"Quite some time. It feels like decades." The door to the infirmary opened to reveal the one-and-only redhead Jean sitting on—not in—a bed while Rogue and Kitty sat on either side of her. Jean was pleading to them in near-tears.

"Please, girls. You must tell me where he is."

The teens obviously didn't know what say, "We don't _know_ Miss Grey. Honestly."

"Please? I won't get angry. But _please tell me_!"

Storm approached Logan when the two entered. Logan's were glued on Jean until Storm was close enough to notice how she looked. She looked just about as bad as he felt. Dark circles were under her eyes from lack of sleep; despite her chocolaty color, her face looked pale; and her hair—now grown to chin-length and back to its pure white color—was fairly untidy. "It's bad, Logan," she simply said. "I don't she can remember much."

"You mean she forgot all what happened?"

"No. She hasn't. She just keeps asking for…" her voice trailed off and he understood. Jean obviously couldn't remember what happened to her fiancé.

"What else can't she remember?"

"I don't know. All she talks about is Scott. Keeps thinking he was at Alkali Lake and came back. She thinks we're trying to keep something from her. We don't know what to tell her, Logan."

"I am not 100 percent sure, but it's possible…" Beast began, but trailed off.

"What?"

"Hank believes that when Jean came back the second time, she took half of Scott's mind with her and resulting in a…_psychic bond_ or something. But it can't be true. Scott's…well, no longer with us. In the midst of this, Logan, maybe you could…"

Logan nodded and walked over to the bed, dismissing the other two girls.

"Logan…" Jean sobbed. "I'm sorry for what I did, but pleez tell me where he is."

"Scott?"

"He's _alive_, Logan. I know he is. He's nearby, but I don't know exactly where. He keeps calling me for help. I wanna help him! But I can't find him."

"Whoa. Slow down, Jean. What exactly is he saying?"

"Logan, don't encourage her--!" Storm began, but Logan silenced her with a hand-gesture.

As if she didn't hear, Jean answered, "He says that he's hurt and he can't leave. I wanna help him, Logan!"

"We'll help him, Jean. Don't worry. Just get some sleep."

"Okay," she gasped and rested her head back and tried to find sleep.

Logan got up and left towards upstairs. A baffled Storm followed, "Logan, what do you think you're _doing_?"

"I think I'm going to back to Alkali Lake and find Scott."

"Logan, Scott is _dead_! Now telling Jean that you're gonna find him may have made matters worse for her!"

Logan turned to her, "Who says I'm lying? I truly believe her. I think that now having hearing her, Scott' _is_ still alive somewhere. He's just too frail and fatigued to keep going. I mean, none of us are _certain_ he died. No one saw it happen for sure. I'll bet even Jean can't remember what happened."

"Logan, I understand what you're saying. We _all_ want Scott back. None of wanna believe he's gone—as was with the Professor, but--"

"What? You think I haven't had those crazy dreams, too? I know you dream about him comin' back every night. I have, too. And now somethin's tellin' me I shouldn't just ignore it. He's out there. Jean knows it, I know it, even _you_ know it. Sorry, Storm, but you can't lie worth a shit to me."

"Okay, lemmie ask you _this_, Logan: why are you so keen to help Jean with a trouble with Scott? You've hated him since the very minute you too met."

"Yeah. I realize that…but something's changed. I don't know what, but I'm goin' with my instinct."

"Logan--" but he was gone before she finished saying his name.

Later

Sooner than he wanted—right after dusk—Logan was back at the place he hated most. That damn…well, dam.

But he still parked an old car of Scott's by the side of the road. Little did he know that it was the same exact spot where Scott parked his motorcycle quite a few weeks previously. But Logan never saw it for it was vaporized the day the Dark Phoenix unleashed its wrath.

He began to walk along the beach, retracing his steps of when he was last there. A scent met his senses. He knew a distraught smell of a brokenhearted male anywhere.

Straining his eyes in the darkness, Logan discovered a sprawled form lying very near to shallow water sloshing smoothly against the 'beach'. The figure itself was partially _in_ the water, but not to where he was breathing nothing but water and drowning.

When he drew near enough, he saw without a doubt, it was--

"Scott?" he turned over the motionless Cyclops off his stomach and to where he was facing Logan. The X-Men leader's bare eyes were closed and he still remained unmoving, "Scott. C'mon, talk to me, kid," he pleaded as he wiped off some mud off Scott's face.

As if a prayer was answered, the raspy voice of Scott whispered, "…Logan."

Scott's eyes began to flutter open, but Logan shot a gentle hand on them, "No. Wait," he pulled a spare pair of ruby-quartz glasses he had snuck out of the subbasement and slid them on Scott's face. "Here." Scott properly propped himself on an arm. They stared at each other for what seemed centuries before Logan broke the silence, "I…thought you were…_dead_."

"No," Scott spoke slowly. "I…don't know _what_ happened, but I'm not."

Logan smiled in spite of himself. Their Scott was alive after all. But no time to chat, "C'mon. We gotta get you home." He tried to help Scott to his feet, but Scott suddenly cried out, "What, what's wrong?"

Biting his breath in pain, Scott replied, "My leg. I think--I think my leg's broken." Logan had only just noticed the odd angle of which Scott's right leg lay in the mud.

But in the distance, "Stand down, Wolvie," the cold voice of Pyro (ha! 'cold' my ass! Lol) called. "He's _ours_, this time."

"The _hell_ he is!"

"I _tried_. Juggy?" (sorry. I took that name from a deleted alternate scene in X3. couldn't resist)

Logan heard the unmistakable rumble in the distance of Cain Marko—otherwise known as the Juggernaut—charging at them "Oh, shit. Get up. C'mon! Get up!" Logan pulled the frightened and confused Scott to his feet as Juggernaut charged. Scott almost immediately fell back down, but Logan caught him halfway, "C'mon. You've _got_ to use your leg!"

"I…_can_'_t_."

"Yes, you can. You've been through worse. Now, _stand up_!" Juggernaut came dangerously close. So close that he rammed into Logan and knocking him flat on his back a few yards away. Not wasting any time in 'playing' with Logan, he turned to Scott who'd fallen on his good leg without the support of Logan.

"We been lookin' for you for a _long_ time." Juggernaut gleefully exclaimed as he strode to the defenseless mutant.

Scott tried with all his might to regain his feet, but failed. His ruptured leg refused to support him. Just as Juggernaut was a three mere feet from him, Scott threw out his arms, in defense. But, amazingly, Juggernaut was knocked backwards some yards by some invisible force.

Logan stared at what he saw. _Did Scott just_--no, that's impossible! Scott's not telekinetic! But Logan's eyes weren't deceiving him. He was wide eyed for a second until he approached Scott, who in turn was stunned by what happened.

Scott looked at his hands in amazement as if asking himself, "_How the hell did I _do_ that?_"

"Scott? What happened? How--how did you--?" but Juggernaut was quickly regaining his feet. This was no time for '20 questions'.

"C'mon!" Logan ran Scott over to the car—practically having to carry him—and pushed him in. He then leapt over the hood and jumped into the driver's side and immediately drove off, the Brotherhood hot on their tails. "Did he hurt you?" Logan hastily asked Scott who remained silent and stared blankly out the window in shock, "Scott, are you hurt!?" Scott tried opening the door to jump out, but Logan grabbed his collar and held him in, "You listen to me! You do _exactly _what I say, when I say it! If you wanna get through this, don't do _anything_ unless I tell you to. You understand?" Scott still remained silent, as if terrified of a man he didn't even know. "_Do you understand me_?"

"Yes!" Scott cried in fear and surprise. "Happy, now?"

"Now tell me, Scott," Logan calmed his voice a little, but didn't let go of Scott, making sure that he didn't try anything. The guy was clearly delirious. "How much do you remember?"

"Almost nothing. I don't know what's going on. Why are those guys chasing us?"

"I don't know, but I gotta pretty good hunch."

"A _­hunch_?"

"First tell me if you feel different. Like do you feel outta the natural at all?"

"What are you talking ab--?"

"_Answer the damn question_!"

"A bit, yes," Scott lied. The truth was, he felt _a lot_ different. "But what's that have to do with anything?"

"Hold on," Logan let go of Scott's collar to make a sharp turn. "I got a lot to tell you, but very little time to explain. I think they know about you and Jean."

"You wanna run that by me again, Logan? What do you mean 'they know about me and Jean'?"

"Have you heard any voices lately? As if from nowhere?"

"I remember Jean trying to talk to me mentally…or something."

"I was afraid 'o that."

"What--why won't you tell me what the hell's going on?"

But he never got an answer for something landed with a big '_thump_!' on top of the car. _Damn_!They're in trouble.

Jean

Jean was scared. What was happening to her and her lover? She just couldn't separate her mind from his! (uh-oh! 'nother nightmare. I can't quit! Lol)

"Scott. Scott, listen to me. It's okay."

"No."

"Just stay calm. _Don't lose control_."

"Jean…" he whispered. He then looked at her with such fear and confusion that it scared Jean. "Make it _stop_."

"Scott, calm down, okay?"

"_No_." his violently shaking hands covered his face in fear.

"Look at me, Scott," Jean pulled his hands away. "Keep your self-control."

"No!" Scott pulled away, and turning, fell to his hands and knees on the ground. "It wants me to hurt you! I-I don't wanna hurt you!"

Jean kneeled at his side placing an arm over his shoulders, "It' alright, Scott. Just don't listen to it. Ignore it and you won't have to. Just ignore."

"No. I can't! It won't let me."

"_Yes_ you can. You're stronger than I was. _You can_."

"I can't, Jean. It won't leave me alone." Suddenly, Jean realized what was scaring Scott. His power wasn't the only thing he needed to keep in control of. But, no. It wasn't possible! Not unless they shared the same mind--oh no! The nonstop voices! It couldn't be! It couldn't be done!

But it was…

"SCOTT!" Jean sat up in her bed. And she realized: Logan went to find Scott, and now they're in a hell of a tight spot. She knew immediately that she had to help them. But…how? How did she know all this? And how could she possibly help them?

A/N: Ah…DAMMIT! I left another cliffie. Couldn't help myself, HeeHee! Pleez don't hate me! I'm just desperate for opinions. Typical me. Anyways, I'll try to update soon. Until then, I'll let ya'll's imagination's wonder. Toodle-loo!


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